Friday, June 22, 2007

Revisiting Laura

I have been reading the "Little House" books to my daughter each evening. We read one or two chapters and a lot of discussion goes on. I have been a loyal Laura Ingalls Wilder fan since I was 9 years old and have read all her books (at least all that I'm aware of) many times. But now, reading these books with my 6 yo daughter, I am seeing them through her eyes. She asks questions and makes comments about things I didn't notice. Lots and lots of questions and comments. If my boys are listening, they add their two cents. Sometimes it takes a long time to get through a chapter! But it's worth it, as my kids are learning a lot during this time. I'm learning, too. Reading these books to my kids allows me to enjoy Laura's life all over again and gaining new insights is an added bonus. I wrote a post about Laura many months ago on my other blog at HSB, and even in writing that post, I started to cry. I feel such a connection with her, I can't really explain it. It makes me sad that she died 6 years before I was born. It would have been such a joy to meet with her and chat awhile. She's been such an inspiration to me, in so many ways. My sense of adventure, my love of writing, my fascination with pioneer women and the westward movement. All these things, I learned from her. I'll always be thankful that my mom bought me "On The Banks Of Plum Creek" when I was in 4th grade. What a gap there would be in my life if I had never been introduced to Laura!

Which makes me wonder - will I be able to introduce something to my kids that will change their lives in a positive, wonderful way? I certainly hope so.

3 comments:

love those books. there were many books and characters that made a difference in my life and that is one of the most exciting thing about parenting--getting to introduce your kids to the books that made a difference in our lives.

About Me

I'm a homeschool mom who enjoys writing, walking and loving my family. I'm married to a trend-setting male nurse and have three active, creative and talkative kids, all of which I find extremely interesting.